Saturday, September 8, 2012

All He Ever Wanted - Anita Shreve

Loved this read! The story of a fussy college professor who falls in love with a woman he rescues from a fire and it builds to an obsession despite being rebuffed.

Nicholas tells his story as he is traveling by train to his sister's funeral. I recognized shortly that he had limited self-awareness and never questioned the appropriateness of his passion until it had destroyed those he loved. As he reveals the relationship with his wife and their life the sense of pending tragedy grows. At times I wanted to shake him into reality and I ached for his wife's situation.

I finished the book in one long day, returning via air from vacation in Florida. Some quotes that I noted:

"A train of though is an out-of-control vehicle..."
"I cannot help but wonder, however, if we do not invent our own destiny, our own fate, to suit our circumstances."
"...I would advise young lovers to be as attentive to the first embrace with the beloved as one would be to a soothsayer."
"Without trust there can be no marriage..."

I recommend this one and anyone who already has read it, please share your thoughts.